Читать книгу Secrets of Advertising to Gen Y Consumers - Aiden Livingston - Страница 19

Baby Boomers like an authoritative figure helping them to make a decision. This would explain why sensationalized marketing was an effective practice for this generation. They liked having a commercial tell them definitively what was the best purchase choice for them. They didn’t have to explain why this was the best choice, and the argument didn’t necessarily have to make sense. Baby Boomers just liked to be reassured before making a decision, to be pointed in the right direction. It’s not that Baby Boomers are dumb or unable to research a purchase the same way Gen Y does, they simply grew up in a time when it wasn’t as necessary. Their purchasing habits were formed in a different economic climate. In the 1960s and the 1970s much of the manufacturing was still done within the United States. The markets weren’t flooded with hundreds of foreign manufacturers seeking to niche themselves within a marketplace.

During the 1990s to the present, markets have become constantly more and more saturated with endless variety. Increases in manufacturing technology have meant more products being developed by endless new companies from countries all over the world, which has equaled endless options and considerations for every product. The difference is Gen Y has grown up in a world of saturated markets and they are quite used to, if not expectant, of the limitless choices. We don’t mind spending the extra time learning about and comparing all the features, since we have been doing this all of our lives.

I remember being only eight years old and having to weigh the pros and cons of a Super Nintendo or a Sega Genesis. I considered the graphics of the systems, plus the caliber and number of games for each system. Many of the younger video game consumers have had even tougher decisions as new systems have emerged. Now the options are the Wii, the Xbox, or the PlayStation. I pity the poor eight-year-old who is left with that decision! Deciding between only two caused me many sleepless nights and took years off my adolescent life!